I stared at the screen and struggled to wrap my heart around it. It did not fit me anymore. I tried to write on the blog that once was but it felt like it belonged to a woman that once was. It was beautiful; it was pristine. It was perfectly styled and classically cursive. Scrolling led to images worthy of social media virality. There was so much cooking and entertaining and traveling; there were clothes and flower arrangements and baked goodies. I scoffed at the blog, at the woman. Out of jealousy, perhaps? Or nostalgia? Both, probably.

My days now consist of changing nappies, cleaning up baby food, and pushing a pram. I wake up to a baby that wants to be picked up and it is non-stop action from there. By the time I put him to sleep, it is time to be a wife and cook and clean…

Oh how fun the second trimester was! When I finally got over the blues and waves of the first trimester, I felt human again. But there was still a lot of waiting to do - after all, I was only halfway through the pregnancy - so I needed to find something to fill my days with.

The Baby Shower! I defied the rule that said it had to be thrown by family and friends. In true maternal (and perfectionist?) form, I decided to do it myself. As the invite said, I wanted it to be, 'a celebration of thanksgiving and joy'. We've waited for this baby for a while so this mama (and papa) had every reason to throw a party, right?

First, the theme. I didn't want the party to literally say BABY! so I searched for the perfect theme to tie everything together. Considering that our baby would be born during summer (and we were all beginning to feel the heatwave), I just knew that it had to be TROPICAL. So I scoured the city - mostly from my laptop - for suppliers of garden chairs, monstera leaves, orchids, seashells, starfishes, and tropical flowers...

With a feminine heart that yearns to serve and nurture, mothers see their homes not just as a roof over their family’s heads. Instead, homes also become the place to gather, celebrate, converse; an abode that offers comfort and restfulness in times of increasing uncertainty and worry. There are only a few things more satisfying to a woman than providing respite for her loved ones in the forms of coffee sessions, dinner conversations, and weekend brunches. Every woman falls in love with the image of people gathered ‘round the table, smiling and dining within the four walls of the home she has built.

But let’s face it: not everyone is born a Martha Stewart, right? Sometimes, entertaining dear family and friends can seem like a daunting task reserved only for those with an abundance of time and resources. We think, ‘I cannot cook to save my life! I don’t know where to get pretty tabletop decors! I simply have no help!’ Here’s the good news, mamas: when we entertain, we don’t have to whip up a three-course meal like Ina Garten or design our dining rooms akin to those glorifying homes on Pinterest...

Most of the days, in the thick of the routine and ordinary, it's hard to find beauty... especially when you're toting around a bump so huge that limitations abound. It's harder to get around, to do things, to step out of your room.

I was getting tired of the same old, same old day. My creative reservoir was empty. I noticed I was in need of inspiration so I drank off the things closest to me - books, magazines, and blogs. As each chapter, each image and post filled me, the yearning to create consumed me. The desire to just make anything useful, beautiful, joyful. I had been parched for a long while and I decided it was about time to do something about it...

There’s always something new to chase. That’s how life these days feels like, right? A fashion trend, marbled anything, faux fur loafers, the more effective diet plan, yet another ambition – the list is endless.

While we may smile as we chase…snapping and instagramming stories as we achieve our #goals, the truth is that we are all so tired of trying to keep up.

But we don’t admit it because we want to prove that we’ve got it all… thatour lives are beautiful. That we are beautiful.